<p>A senior BJP leader on Monday said if hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had quit Hurriyat Conference earlier, “Kashmir would not have seen bloodshed and chaos.”</p>.<p>“Geelani is a veteran politician. He has been in the Assembly and knows the benefits of democracy. (But) if he taken the decision of quitting Hurriyat earlier, perhaps Kashmir would not have seen this much of bloodshed and chaos,” Bhartiya Janata Party (J&K) General Secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul told reporters on the eve of birth anniversary of the party founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee.</p>.<p>Geelani, who is under house arrest for the last several years, resigned as chairman of hardline Hurriyat last Monday, complaining that constituents of the amalgam failed to lead the people after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, “overstepped the limits”, and tried to “create a parallel structure.”</p>.<p>On the revocation of Article 370, Koul said, “It was never permanent in J&K and after its the abrogation people have reaped the benefits that include a complete end to stone-pelting and there is no law and order or civilian killing at the encounter sites now.”</p>.<p>He said that the question remains what did the people of achieving out of Article 370. “My answer is nothing,” the BJP leader said and accused the regional parties playing politics over Articles 370 and 35A just to ensure that they remain in power.</p>.<p>“Common people in Kashmir or Jammu got nothing and instead was fooled on one or the other pretext by the regional political parties,” Koul said. “Today, benefits of rollback of Article 370 are clear: Stone pelting has completely vanished and there is no protest or a civilian killing at the encounter sites.”</p>
<p>A senior BJP leader on Monday said if hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani had quit Hurriyat Conference earlier, “Kashmir would not have seen bloodshed and chaos.”</p>.<p>“Geelani is a veteran politician. He has been in the Assembly and knows the benefits of democracy. (But) if he taken the decision of quitting Hurriyat earlier, perhaps Kashmir would not have seen this much of bloodshed and chaos,” Bhartiya Janata Party (J&K) General Secretary (Organisation) Ashok Koul told reporters on the eve of birth anniversary of the party founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee.</p>.<p>Geelani, who is under house arrest for the last several years, resigned as chairman of hardline Hurriyat last Monday, complaining that constituents of the amalgam failed to lead the people after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, “overstepped the limits”, and tried to “create a parallel structure.”</p>.<p>On the revocation of Article 370, Koul said, “It was never permanent in J&K and after its the abrogation people have reaped the benefits that include a complete end to stone-pelting and there is no law and order or civilian killing at the encounter sites now.”</p>.<p>He said that the question remains what did the people of achieving out of Article 370. “My answer is nothing,” the BJP leader said and accused the regional parties playing politics over Articles 370 and 35A just to ensure that they remain in power.</p>.<p>“Common people in Kashmir or Jammu got nothing and instead was fooled on one or the other pretext by the regional political parties,” Koul said. “Today, benefits of rollback of Article 370 are clear: Stone pelting has completely vanished and there is no protest or a civilian killing at the encounter sites.”</p>
